human African trypanosomiasis

Summary

human African trypanosomiasis (MONDO:0005459) is a disease and 19 clinical trials. Top therapeutic interventions include fexinidazole, eflornithine, and nifurtimox. A subtype of trypanosomiasis — broader associated-gene and molecular evidence is on the parent page (see Disease family below).

At a glance

• Prevalence: Unknown (Worldwide)
• Phenotypes (HPO): 87
• Clinical trials: 19

Clinical features

Signs & symptoms

Clinical features (HPO)

87 HPO clinical features (Orphanet curated; top 50 by frequency):

HPO ID	Term	Frequency
HP:0000707	Abnormality of the nervous system	Very frequent (80-99%)
HP:0001262	Excessive daytime somnolence	Very frequent (80-99%)
HP:0002360	Sleep abnormality	Very frequent (80-99%)
HP:0006979	Sleep-wake cycle disturbance	Very frequent (80-99%)
HP:0030050	Narcolepsy	Very frequent (80-99%)
HP:0032323	Periodic fever	Very frequent (80-99%)
HP:0000741	Apathy	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0000989	Pruritus	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0001324	Muscle weakness	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0001433	Hepatosplenomegaly	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0001744	Splenomegaly	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0001824	Weight loss	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0002240	Hepatomegaly	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0002315	Headache	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0002494	Abnormal rapid eye movement sleep	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0002500	Abnormal cerebral white matter morphology	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0002716	Lymphadenopathy	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0003115	Abnormal EKG	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0011442	Abnormality of central motor function	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0012378	Fatigue	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0012751	Abnormal basal ganglia MRI signal intensity	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0025145	Rigors	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0100785	Insomnia	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0410263	Brain imaging abnormality	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0001288	Gait disturbance	Frequent (30-79%)
HP:0000020	Urinary incontinence	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000083	Renal insufficiency	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000140	Abnormality of the menstrual cycle	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000491	Keratitis	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000509	Conjunctivitis	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000651	Diplopia	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000708	Atypical behavior	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000718	Aggressive behavior	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000737	Irritability	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000739	Anxiety	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000771	Gynecomastia	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000789	Infertility	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000802	Impotence	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000818	Abnormality of the endocrine system	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000847	Abnormality of renin-angiotensin system	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0000952	Jaundice	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001101	Iritis	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001266	Choreoathetosis	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001269	Hemiparesis	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001288	Gait disturbance	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001337	Tremor	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001345	Psychotic mentation	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001596	Alopecia	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0001709	Third degree atrioventricular block	Occasional (5-29%)
HP:0002013	Vomiting	Occasional (5-29%)

Identifiers

Disease identifiers

Field	Value
Canonical name	human African trypanosomiasis
Mondo ID	MONDO:0005459
EFO	EFO:0005225
MeSH	D014353
Orphanet	3385
DOID	DOID:10112
NCIT	C84541
SNOMED CT	27031003
UMLS	C0041228
MedGen	21714
GARD	0007826
MedDRA	10001461
Is cancer (heuristic)	no

Also known as: Africam sleeping sickness · African trypanosomiasis · sleeping sickness

Disease family

This is a subtype of trypanosomiasis. Genetic, therapeutic, and trial evidence is largely curated at the broader-term level — see the parent page for the associated-gene cohort and molecular evidence.

Classification path: disease › human disease › disease by etiologic mechanism › disease of primarily extrinsic mechanism › infectious disease › parasitic infectious disease › protozoa infectious disease › trypanosomiasis › human African trypanosomiasis

Related subtypes (1): Chagas disease

Subtypes (2): infection by Trypanosoma gambiense, infection by Trypanosoma rhodesiense

Genetics & variants

GWAS landscape

No GWAS associations recorded — common-variant (GWAS) studies don’t cover this disease (typical for Mendelian / rare diseases). See the curated gene cohort and Mendelian overlap below.

Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers

No tiered GWAS variants or ClinVar records for this disease.

Genes & proteins

No associated-gene cohort resolved for this disease. Atlas builds the molecular and therapeutic sections — associated genes, protein families, druggability, pathways, interactions, and drug associations — by aggregating over a disease’s associated genes (resolved via GWAS / GenCC / ClinVar / CIViC), and none resolved here. This is expected for antibody-mediated, autoimmune, or otherwise non-gene-defined conditions; the curated evidence for this disease is its clinical features, GWAS susceptibility, and clinical trials (above).

Function

No pathway enrichment — requires an associated-gene cohort.

Therapeutics

Drugs indicated or in trials for this disease

1 approved drug — disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.

Drug	Status
Fexinidazole	Approved (phase 4)

2 drugs in clinical trials for this disease (phase 2–3, investigational): efficacy not established — a trial record, not an indication.

Drug	Highest phase
Eflornithine	Phase 2
Nifurtimox	Phase 2

Clinical trials & evidence

Clinical trials

Clinical trials: 19.

Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)

Phase	Trials
PHASE2/PHASE3	7
Not specified	7
PHASE3	2
PHASE4	1
PHASE2	1
PHASE1	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT00906880	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Clinical Study to Assess the Tolerability, Feasibility and Effectiveness of Nifurtimox and Eflornithine (NECT) for the Treatment of Trypanosoma Brucei Gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) in the Meningo-encephalitic Phase
NCT06356974	PHASE3	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Stop Transmission of Gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis (STROgHAT)
NCT01685827	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Pivotal Study of Fexinidazole for Human African Trypanosomiasis in Stage 2
NCT02169557	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Fexinidazole in Patients With Stage 1 or Early Stage 2 Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) Due to T.b. Gambiense: a Prospective, Multicentre, Open-label Cohort Study, plug-in to the Pivotal Study
NCT02184689	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Fexinidazole in Children at Least 6 Years Old and Weighing Over 20 kg With Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) Due to T.b. Gambiense: a Prospective, Multicentre, Open Study, plug-in to the Pivotal Study
NCT03025789	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Fexinidazole in Human African Trypanosomiasis Due to T.b. Gambiense at Any Stage
NCT03087955	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Acoziborole (SCYX-7158) in Patients With Human African Trypanosomiasis Due to T.b. Gambiense
NCT03974178	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Fexinidazole in Human African Trypanosomiasis Due to T. b. Rhodesiense
NCT05256017	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Safety and Tolerability Study of Acoziborole in g-HAT Seropositive Subjects
NCT05433350	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Pharmacokinetic, Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability Study of a Single Dose of Acoziborole in g-HAT Paediatric Patients
NCT00803933	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Trial of DB289 for the Treatment of Stage I African Trypanosomiasis
NCT00982904	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Human African Trypanosomiasis: First in Man Clinical Trial of a New Medicinal Product, the Fexinidazole
NCT01766830	Not specified	COMPLETED	Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Clinical/Laboratory Predictors of Tropical Diseases In Patients With Persistent Fever in Cambodia, Nepal, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan (NIDIAG-Fever)
NCT03112655	Not specified	COMPLETED	Diagnostic Tools for Human African Trypanosomiasis Elimination and Clinical Trials: Early Test-of-cure
NCT03394976	Not specified	WITHDRAWN	Prospective Evaluation of an RDT to Screen for Gambiense HAT and Diagnose P. Falciparum Malaria
NCT04099628	Not specified	COMPLETED	Diagnostic Tools for Human African Trypanosomiasis Elimination and Clinical Trials: WP3 Post Elimination Monitoring
NCT05466630	Not specified	COMPLETED	Prospective Evaluation of the Specificity of Serological Tests for Human African Trypanosomiasis
NCT05637632	Not specified	COMPLETED	Assessment of Recombinant HAT-RDT Specificity
NCT05645822	Not specified	WITHDRAWN	Screen and Treat Implementation for HAT Control

Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)

Molecule	Max phase	Trials referencing
FEXINIDAZOLE	4	6
EFLORNITHINE	4	1
NIFURTIMOX	4	1
PENTAMIDINE	4	1
PAFURAMIDINE MALEATE	3	1
ACOZIBOROLE	2	3
EFLORNITHINE, (S)-	2	1
CHEMBL1486475	0	1
CHEMBL4446459	0	1
CHEMBL4519671	0	1